| Quantity of items | 1 |
| Materials | Folhas de palmeira |
| Signature | Assinatura impressa |
| Period | 2021 |
| Additional information | Extraordinary as works of art and decoration, these masks come from the shamanic beliefs and rituals of the Wounaans and Emberas Indians who live in the rainforest between Panama and Colombia. The Indians divide the world in two, one visible and the other parallel, invisible. The spirits that inhabit the invisible world, the “hai”, are found in nature, animals or plants. Through the shamans, the Indians come into contact with the “hai” spirits. It is the mask or “nemboro” that allows the Shaman, during the ritual, to assume the appearance of a spirit from the invisible world and to enter into communication with it. After use, the mask that “danced” will be destroyed as it remains “charged” and only the Shaman can touch it. For this reason, there are no specimens used in rituals. They are not made for permanence, like African wooden or metal masks. These «reproductions» of ancestral masks are made by women in the heart of the rainforest. After harvesting, palm leaves are dried, bleached in the sun and dyed with natural dyes (roots, fruits, wood, seeds or leaves…). The structure is made with a different plan, coarser and more rigid: the “nahuala”, which disappears completely when the piece is finished. The nahuala helps create the shape and dimension of the mask and, in a way, acts as a frame. Excluding the time needed to prepare the «chunga» (harvesting, drying and dyeing), making a small mask can take one to two weeks, while a large piece will take at least a month. There are as many “nemboros” as there are people and animals in the forest. Each has its own character, its own personality. More than a handmade object, they are unique works of art born in the depths of the jungle. In them you find the shadow of the spell for which they were originally intended, the dreams and images that haunt women in their creation and all the colors and sounds of the forest where they were born. These masks are used in a variety of design projects. Accompanied by manufacturing certificate |
| Dimensions | 34(height) x 16(width) x 14(depth) cm |
| Condition Report | Young |
| Catalog Manager |
Catarina Graça
|
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